Apparatus for submarine pipe-laying.



No. s5o,|34. Patented May 22, |900.l

H. w. PHILLIPS. APPARATUS FOR SUBMABINE PIPE LAYING.

(Application led Jan. 9, 1900.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-,Sheet l.

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Patented May 22, |900.

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H. W. PHILLIPS. y

APPARATUS FOR-SUBMARINE PIPE LAYING.

(Application filed Jan. 9, 1900*) (No Model.)

No. 650,!34. Patented May 22, |900.

' H. W. PHILLIPS.

APPARATUS FR SUBMABENE PIPE LAYING.

(Application led Jan. 9, 1900.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I l G I (9 N j T Mu: Y w f 1 V G :s H

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Inh/Enlvcm UNITED Y Srn'rnsr PATENT OFFICE1 "HIRAM W. P III'LLIPS," OF QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FoRsuaMARaNr-z, PIPE-LAYING.

SPECIFICA'ION forming .part of Letters Patent No. 650,134, dated May 22, 1900.

` I Application liled January 9, 1900- Serlal No.894; (No model.)

To all whom, it may con/cern Be it known that I, IIIRAM W'. PHILLIPs,of Quincy, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and 5 useful Improvement in Apparatus for Submarine Pipe-Laying, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.. Y y

. My invention relates to .y an apparatus for 1o floating and otherwise sustaining, guiding, placing, and uniting heavy pipe under water; and it consists in an air-tankpreferably divided'into compartments and provided with inlet and outlet valves and pneumatic devices for controlling the amount of air and Water in thc said tank, also in devices for attaching the pipes to be laid to the tank, and

also in devices for4 sustaining and guiding the tank and' its connected pipe, and, in some zo cases, in gravel and sand carrying pockets combined with the tank.'

The object is to construct an eilcient and easily-controlled apparatus for laying heavy pipe under Water. This object I attain b'y z 5 means of the mechanism shown in the accompanying drawings, in which 1 Figure l is an elevation showing one of my .tanks with a section ofA pipe attached, the whole suspended and ready for submersion. 3o Fig. 2 indicates by dot-ted lines the whole submerged with the section of pipes i'n line and in connection with the previously-laid pipe, which is indicated by full lines. Fig. 3 is a plan of one of my tanks. Fig. lLisa vertical longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 5 is an end elevation, enlarged, of one of my tanks with pipe attached. Fig. 6 is a crossvertical section of the same.

v In the dijawings, A represents a tank made 4o of any suitable material and is divided into air-tight compartments A A2 A3 A4. (See Fig. 4..) An air-supply pipe B leadsfrom an air pump or compressor, convenientlylocated, to the pipe B B2 B3 B4, and this pipe has .45 valve connections C' C2 .Cs C4 with the come f partments A A2 A3 A, so that any desired amount of air can be forced into the several compartments. Outlet-valves D D2 DD4 -are provided for allowing the air to escape 5o from the vupper'parts of the compartments'. An opening.. is also made inthe bottom of each-compartment for the admission .of Water on the pipe.

when it is desired tolessen the buoyancy of the tank.

. As desirable adj uncts to the buoyant tank I form receptacles for sand, gravel, or other materials. These I term pockets,and have designated them in the drawings by P P.

They are made large at the top and small at' the bottom, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4, and are each provided with sliding doors P I, Fig. 4. These doors are all connected by links P2 l2 and pivots P3 P3 to a rod P4, by the aid of which all of the doors may be opened or closed and their contents discharged or retained.

The ropes E E are attached to the end of the tank by bent iron straps E' E or by any convenient means and are used for suspending and controlling the tank from on board the attendant vessel or float-stage. The guideropes L and L (see Figs. 1 andl2) pass through fair-leaders L L', one at each end of the tank. The lower end'of one'of these ropes is attached to the end of the previously-laid pipe K bymeans of a loop L3, and the lower end of the other is attached to a portable anchorageblock. chorage-block is used for convenience in adjusting the free end of the pipe and is placed in position before the pipe is lowered and is removed as soon as the pipe is secured in its position. The spuds or legs S S at the end of the tank are adjustable vertically by any convenient mechanism and are held in place by socket-pieces S2 and ins S3. Wheels S S are placed at the lower ends of the spuds and are adapted to rest on the portable anchorage-block F. For attaching the section of pipe to the tank I have chainsG G, each at' tached at one end to one of the cleats H H" (See F, Fig. 2.) The portable an.

A yoke-piece-Y is placed at the end of the tank and is adapted to adjust the tank in relation to the previously-laid pipe K. (See Fig. 2.) A friction-wheel Y', Fig. 4j, is connected with the yoke Y to facilitate movement The lugs K2 and -screw-bolts K3 are used for the purpose of permanently conneet-ing the pipes to each other.

IOO

The method of using my apparatus isas follows: The lnumber of pieces of p pipe. de-

sired to be laid at one time are placed in line upon an elevator-like arrangement, so contrived that when the several pieces of pipe have been connected together it 4can belowered to the desired depth below the waters surface, or the pipe may be put overboard upon the cradle ofa marine railway 'or in localities where the tides rise and fall suiiciently, the several sections of pipe may be connected near low-water mark when the tide is down and be transferred when the tide is up. `When the pipe to be laid has been submerged so there is sufficient depth of water above it, the pipe-laying device is iioated along over it, and when rightly located the air-escapement valves D D2 D D4at the top of the tank A are opened and the space whichv the escaping air vacates is quickly occupied by water, which comes in through openings at the bottom of the tank. The tank is thus relieved of buoyancy until it settlesV down and the inverts A5 A5 bear upon the top surface of the pipe to be laid. The air-escapey ment valves are then closed and the pipe-supporting chains G G, which were put beneath the 'pipe and conveniently triced up before the pipe was'z-lsubmerged, are transferred to the tank. One end of each chain is attached to a swivel take-up screw device II and its lother end is belayed to a stout cleat H on the opposite side of the deck of the tank.

When all the pipe-supporting chains GA G have thus been secured and drawn evenly and tightly by means of the several swivelv takenp screws H, the whole is further submerged until the dotation of the tank overcomes the force of gravitation. I Then the tank, "having the joined sections of pipe suspended beneath it, is towed to-the place ofthe laying. As stated, the'tank'is constructed with severaltransverse bulkheads located equidistant l Their purpose is to 4pre- -vent water from flowing too much to one end,

"which would cause it to maintain an uneven balance. At each end of the tank 'a guiderope L is passed through fair-leaders L" L.

- The lower end of one of these guide-ropes is made fast to the loop La at the end of the pipe K, previously laid. The lower end of the other guide-rope is secured to a portable anchorage F, Fig. 2, which has been carefully placed. The upper'ends of these guide-ropes are led over timbers or cat-heads, which project over the side of a vessel securely moored over the spot where the -pipe is to besunk and hauled taut from the deck of said vessel. By

- ropes attached to the straps E E and leading from the derrick-boom or capstans of the before-mentioned vessel the descent ofthe tank and the attached pipe is governed. When all is ready, the air-escapement valves are' again opened and water is allowed to further displace the' air within the tank until its deck goes below the waters surface.: Then as the whole descends its even avoirdupois is mainvalves and let it fill with w-ater.

surface,

air-hose or life-lines or other gear.

gravel or sand nany .tained by forcing air into the tankbygnleans of air-hose connected `to an air-compressor upon the deck of the vessel moored'o'ver the spot. Otherwise,as depth is increased, the increasing pressure forces the air within the tank into smaller space, thus detracting from its buoyancy.- The device as it goes down, following 'the lead-of the guide-ropes, finds the place intended for it. The yoke Y at the one- /end crowns over of pipe,

the previously-laid section and the roller Y at the center of the yoke .bearsup'on the top of said previously- `of screw-bolts K3, passed through apertures in lugs K2 intended for the purpose, said lugs being a part of the make-up of the pipeor otherwise'. When the supported section of pipe has been satisfactorilyconnected, then further reduce the buoyancy of the tank by letting air escape until the loss of buoyancy shall equal the weight of gravel in the gravelpockets. Then open the gravel-pocket gates, and-the escaping gravel will be conveniently deposited for tamping beneath and along the under sides of the pipe. fWhen the tamping has been done, again open the air-escapement Now. disconnect the pipe-supporting chains andthe tank may be readily brought to the waters the idea being to have the tank just heavy enough to sink when filled with water -and unloaded, so that divers may work about it without fear of its inadvertently floating to the surface, thereby entangling the divers a Thisobject is eiected by ballasting. l

The apparatus may ofcourse be operated by means ofi-pumping water from the tank and permitting the air to enter by means of air-hose led from above the waters surface.

I claim- 1. In an apparatus of the character dcscribed a hollow air-holding tank of controllable buoyancy and mobility provided with brackets, asA, whereby the sections of pipe are held laterally, meansfor attaching and 'detaching sections ofpipe substantially as audfor the purpose set forth.

2a In an apparatus of the character described a hollow air-holding tank of controllable buoyancy and mobility,hav'ing means for attaching and `detaching sections of pipe and having attached pockets for carrying and the like, and dischargingdoors at the bottom of said pockets substanas and for the purpose set forth.

3.y In an apparatus of the character described a hollow air-holding tank ,havin g a plurality of compartments, of controllable buoy- IIO IIS

ancy and mobility, a yoke-piece, as Y wherei Y substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In an apparatus of the character described a tank controllable as to buoyancy and mobility, in water, and having means for attaching and detaching sections of pipe; in combination withfa guide-rope and a temporarily-fixed anchorage-piece substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

6. In an apparatus of the character described a tank controllable as to buoyancy 4and mobili-ty, and means for attaching and detaching section-s of pipe; in combination with adjustable spuds' or legs and a temporarily-flxed anchorage-piece substantially as and for the purpose set forth. In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 6th day of 3o January, A. D. 1900.

4HIRAM W. PHILLIPS.

Witnesses: FRANK G. PARKER, EDWARD S. DAY. 

